allen



( No Model.)

T O. O. ALLEN.

CASTER.

No. 470,325. Patented Mar. 8, 1892.

WITNESSES: IIVVE/VTOI? ATTORNEY.

PATENT nron.

CHARLES O. ALLEN, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

CASTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 470,325, dated March 8, 1892.

Application filed May 8, 1891. Serial No. 392,075. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES O. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usef ul Improvements in Casters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in casters for furniture and other articles; and

. its object is to provide spring-bearings for such casters that shall be cheap and durable, as hereinafter more fully described,'and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is a vertical section'of a device embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a detail of the spring-socket, and Fig. 3 a vertical section of a modified form of my invention;

Like letters refer to like parts in all the ures.

A represents the lower end of the leg of a table or other article of furniture, having the usual cylindrical chamber A, within the axis of which is the pintle B of the caster, said pintle is reduced in diameter for a portion of its length near the upper end, as shown at B, and is provided witha collar E where itjoins the yoke D, between the arms of which is journaled the caster-wheel E. Said pintle is smaller in diameter than the chamber A and is surrounded with a spiral spring C, the outer diameter of which is slightly less than said chamber A and the inner diameter slightly more than the pintle B, to permit free vertical movement of said spring and pintle within the chamber A. One turn of said spring 0 opposite the upper part. of B is made slightly smaller than the rest, so that when the upper end of the pintle 13 is crowded through and above the same the caster is retained thereby and will not drop out. Said coil-spring rests at its upper end against the top of the chamber A and extends a short distance below the end of the leg A, where it engages the collar F. The pintle being shorter than said spring thus rests in a vertically-elastic socket. Said coiled spring may be supplemented by a conical spiral spring C, made integral therewith, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which is losaid spiral spring. Said leg may also be made concave, as shown in Fig. 1, to permit of greater deflection. of said spring. In Fig. 3 the supplementary helix is omitted, a shorter coil is used, and the pintle provided with an enlarged cylindrical portion B", upon which said spring rests, surrounding which is. a thimble G, the internal diameter of which fits said enlarged portion 13" and is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the spring 0', thus being adapted to engage the said spring andhold it in place in the chamber A". I thus secure a cheap and durable springsocket for the caster, which tends to relieve the jarring and noise when moving the furniture to which said caster is attached. It

also tends to equalize the pressure when standing on an uneven floor and prevents the furniture from rocking upon two legs; also, when attached to any movable leg or part of furniture it enablesme to move the r same with'greater ease over any uneven surface, because of the yielding nature of the spring socket, which permits the caster to rise without lifting so great a load.

What I claim is,

1. In a caster, a pintle having a reduced portion, as B, and a coiled sprin g surrounding said pintle, havinga coil of reduced diameter pintle, having a turn of reduced diameteropv posite the reduced portion of the pintle, said coil projecting above said pintle at its upper end, resting upon said collar at its lower end,

and having an integral conical helix, substantially as described. In testimony whereof I affix my signature ll] presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES O; ALLEN. I

IVitncsses:

LUTHER V. MOUL'ION, Lots MOULTON. 

